"I Need to Know" is a song written by Tom Petty and recorded by American

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

band

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers were an American rock band formed in Gainesville, Florida, in 1976. The band originally comprised lead singer and rhythm guitarist Tom Petty, lead guitarist Mike Campbell, keyboardist Benmont Tench, drummer ...

. It was released in 1978 as the first single from their second album ''

You're Gonna Get It! ''You're Gonna Get It!'' is the second studio album by the American rock band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, released on May 2, 1978, by Shelter Records. Originally, the album was to be titled ''Terminal Romance''. Its design and art direct ...

''. It peaked at #41 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 singles chart in 1978. This song as well as "Listen to Her Heart" was already being played live in concert as early as June 14, 1977, as is evidenced in a performance on Germany's music television show "Rockpalast". ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', is an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' said that it is "hard driving rock 'n' roll" and that "the

hook A hook is a tool consisting of a length of material, typically metal, that contains a portion that is curved/bent back or has a deeply grooved indentation, which serves to grab, latch or in any way attach itself onto another object. The hook's d ...

repeats hypnotically as the guitars drive the message home." ''

Record World ''Record World'' magazine was one of three major weekly music industry trade magazines in the United States, with ''Billboard'' and '' Cashbox''. It was founded in 1946 as ''Music Vendor''. In 1964, it was changed to ''Record World'' under the ...

'' called it an "energetic rocker."

Other versions

Stevie Nicks Stephanie Lynn Nicks (born May 26, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter, known for her work with the band Fleetwood Mac and as a solo artist. After starting her career as a duo with her then-boyfriend Lindsey Buckingham, releasing the album ...

has been performing "I Need to Know" live in her solo concerts since 1981. Nicks also performed this song with Petty together on his 30th anniversary concert (which was filmed and released on DVD as '' Runnin' Down a Dream''). In 1981 the Swedish band

Gyllene Tider Gyllene Tider (; "Golden Times") is a Swedish pop group fronted by Roxette singer, guitarist, and songwriter Per Gessle. They are one of the best-selling Swedish bands ever and have had numerous hits in Scandinavia, starting with their break ...

recorded a version of the song with Swedish lyrics, written by singer

Per Gessle Per Håkan Gessle (; born 12 January 1959) is a Swedish singer, songwriter and guitarist. He is best known as the male half and primary songwriter of the pop rock duo Roxette, which he formed with Marie Fredriksson in 1986 and which was disbande ...

(the male half of

Roxette Roxette is a Swedish pop rock duo originally consisting of Marie Fredriksson and Per Gessle, both of whom were already established musicians in Sweden prior to the band's formation. Fredriksson had released a number of successful solo albums, ...

), named "Vill ha ett svar!"

Poison A poison is any chemical substance that is harmful or lethal to living organisms. The term is used in a wide range of scientific fields and industries, where it is often specifically defined. It may also be applied colloquially or figurati ...

recorded a cover of the song for their 2007 album '' Poison'd!''.

Hour of the Wolf ''Hour of the Wolf'' () is a 1968 Swedish psychological horror and Folk horror film directed by Ingmar Bergman and starring Max von Sydow and Liv Ullmann. The story explores the disappearance of fictional painter Johan Borg (von Sydow), who ...

recorded a cover for their 2012 greatest hits album, ''Decompositions Vol. II''. Following Petty's death on October 2, 2017,

Local H Local H is an American rock band co-founded in 1990 in Zion, Illinois by guitarist and vocalist Scott Lucas, who has remained the band's sole consistent member. Following the departures of the early line-up's bassist and lead guitarist, Lucas a ...

have been playing the song in concert. In 2020,

Starcrawler Starcrawler is an American rock music, rock band from Los Angeles, formed in 2015. The band consists of lead singer Arrow de Wilde, guitarist Henri Cash, bassist Tim Franco, drummer Seth Carolina, and pedal steel/guitar player Bill Cash. They ha ...

previewed a cover of the song for Tom Petty's 70th Birthday Bash on

SiriusXM Sirius XM Holdings Inc. is an American broadcasting corporation headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, that provides satellite radio and online radio services operating in the United States. The company was formed by the 2008 merge ...

, featuring Mike Campbell on rhythm guitar. The band later officially released the cover as a single on music streaming services. In 2023, Ten Cent Revenge recorded a cover of the song for their second EP Fast Forward, featuring

Cherie Currie Cherie Ann Currie (born November 30, 1959) is an American singer, musician, actress, and artist. Currie was the lead vocalist of the Runaways, a rock band from Los Angeles, in the mid-to-late 1970s. She later became a solo artist. Currie and h ...

on co-lead vocals. The group performed the song live alongside Currie on March 21st, 2024, at the Whisky A Go-Go in West Hollywood, California, as the opening act for

Pat Travers Patrick Henry Travers (born April 12, 1954) is a Canadian rock guitarist, singer and songwriter who began his recording career in the mid-1970s. Early life Travers was born and raised in Toronto. Soon after picking up the guitar at age 12, h ...

All appearances

*''

'' *'' Pack Up The Plantation: Live!'' *''

Greatest Hits A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be creat ...

'' *'' Playback'' *'' Anthology: Through The Years'' *''

The Live Anthology ''The Live Anthology'' is a live box set by American rock band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. The box set was released by Reprise Records on November 23, 2009, in a number of formats, with the standard CD and download formats, composed of 48 ...

'' *This song is part of the soundtrack in ''

Rock Band 3 ''Rock Band 3'' is a 2010 rhythm game developed by Harmonix. The game was initially published and distributed by MTV Games and Electronic Arts, respectively, on October 26, 2010. Mad Catz took over both roles and re-released the title on Novembe ...

''.

Charts

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:I Need To Know 1978 singles Tom Petty songs Songs written by Tom Petty Song recordings produced by Denny Cordell 1977 songs

Other versions

All appearances

Charts

See also

References